Big 12 2017 Projections

The Big 12 had a serious down year last fall, and now the mission is to get back to a place where a conference like the AAC is not overtaking them in terms of conference power rankings. The good news is all at the top, as the top three teams in the league could all end up being top ten programs. Here are my projections for the Big 12 in 2017:

Big 12
1. Oklahoma: The Sooners lost some serious talent on offense, and also have a new head coach. It would be popular to take the easy road and pick the Sooners lower, but I don't do anything that's popular. Ask Nebraska fan.

2. Oklahoma State: The Cowboys are the popular choice to win the Big 12, and they very well still may. They return a massive amount of talent in QB Mason Rudolph, WR James Washington, and RB Justice Hill. That could be a recipe for a conference title if the Sooners slip in year one under Lincoln Riley.

3. West Virginia: Just because I have them 3rd here, does not mean that I don't believe that the Mountaineers can win the Big 12, because I do. Will Grier is a custom fit at QB for this offense, and the Mountaineers are being slept on by too many people.

4. Kansas State: The Bill Snyder days are winding down, and the coach is doing some of his best work in just getting to eight wins with some of these rosters. He has a team, once again, that is more guts than glitz, but he does his best work with that.

5. TCU: Gary Patterson has never allowed the Frogs to stay down too long. Stability at the QB position is paramount here, and the Frogs may not have that right now, which is why one more season in the middle may be in the offing.

6. Texas: I know that Tom Herman wants everyone to believe that he can turn Texas into national champs all in one season, but that will not happen. Again, the Longhorns need some stability and consistency this fall, and finding that should be success enough.

7. Baylor: Matt Ruhle takes over, and now we get to see just how damaged this program is after all of the drama from last season. The issues are ongoing in many ways, so it will be up to Ruhle and his staff to hold this team together, and start to build on the ruins.

8. Iowa State: The Cyclones were so very close to being a bowl team last season, but they kept on failing in tight games, and that is the next step. If they can flip the script in some close games this season, they could finish higher than this.

9. Texas Tech: The Red Raiders have no clue as to how to play defense on any level, so don't expect too much at this point. If the Red Raiders fail on defense once again, Kliff Kingsbury needs to be shown the door. Personally, I would have already have pulled the plug.

10. Kansas: The recruiting class was once again ranked dead last in the league, and they have just kicked their best offensive player off of the team. The David Beaty era has been an abject failure, as he has not upgraded recruiting heading into year three. It's time to move on from this mess.